Not For Me
by Mosgem
Summary: After the war, Piper went back to Camp Halfblood while Jason stayed at camp Jupiter with Reyna. A year later, he's wondering if he made the right choice. Oneshot turned into a full sotry, idea originally belongs to Mcabi.
1. Chapter 1

**Re-write, because my last one got taken down. A shot, fluffy one shot for Jasper fans that i wrote while i was bored. I hope you enjoy!**

**the idea originally came from Familiarity by Mcabi. read her story. It's great. **

**Anyway, enjoy!**

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"So you have your memories back?"

The voice shook Jason out of his train of thought. He looked over and tried to smile at the girl who was holding his hand, although he was sure it looked fake.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, they're all back."

Her smile _should_ have been dazzling. His memories told him that. He should have been knocked off his feet. There should have at least been something.

And yet…

Now the smile was gone, replaced by a slight frown. The girl looked over him with concern in her dark brown eyes. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-yes," Jason said, trying to hold contact. He reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Everything is fine."

"Good," she smiled, now standing close to him. Then, slowly, she went up on her tiptoes and kissed him softly. It should've felt good, her body pressed into his, her finger intertwined with his, her lips pressed against him. It definitely should have stirred something.

His memories told him this was right. It had happened before, and he had loved it. But for the first time, his heart was telling him it was wrong.

_Pull away_, his heart whispered.

_No, stay. You like this_, retorted his brain. Jason tried to convince himself that it was right. This was right. Her mouth on his, her arms now draped around his neck, holding him close.

A memory flashed through his mind, of a Greek warship growing smaller and smaller on the horizon, and a lone figure standing there, waving to him, messy brown hair waving in the wind.

Jason pulled back, barely managing not to gasp. The girl regarded him with concern. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Fine," he answered, pressing his head against hers, their eyes just inches apart, blue into brown.

"I need to say something," Reyna said. And then she began to change, her skin growing lighter, her face growing rounder. Jason blinked in surprise.

Brown hair grew lighter and longer, cut unevenly with small braids down the side. _Cut with a pair of Garfield safety scissors_, he thought to himself. He reached up to touch the hair.

Her brown eyes changed, dancing, flicking from blue to green to brown again as if someone was behind them, changing the knob to make different colors. _I never did find out what color they really were_.

Her lips grew softer, lighter as she leaned towards him again, a completely different girl. "I love you," the girl said softly, and when she kissed him, her breath smelled like cinnamon.

Then she pulled back, and it was Reyna again. Reyna, who had just said she loved him.

Jason smiled, but he didn't say anything back.

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**Well? what did you think? Reviews are amazing, and flames are welcome, as long as there's actually some criticism in there. if you're just yelling at me because of the pairing or because i copied the story, you'll have a very mad author on your hands. **

**review, please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, you guys win. I was really planning on keeping this as a one-shot, but after eight amazing reviews, with over half of them asking me to continue the story, i can't really say no to you guys. **

**I'm not exactly sure what'll happen in the story, but i hope it'll be good and not disappoint you guys. Anyways, here's chapter two. **

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Sand flew into the air as Jason's foot swung, kicking it high into the water. He watched it fall with a slightly confused expression.

The sand wasn't confusing him. Reyna was. Not really Reyna, though. More Piper. That was it. Piper was confusing him. Sure, Reyna was a great girl, and she was an amazing fighter, and Jason loved her personality, and she was a good kisser, but whenever he was with her…. Something just wasn't _there_. She was everything that he should want, and yet he wasn't happy with her.

Wrong choice of words, again. He was happy with her, and he liked to hang out with her, but it just wasn't clicking perfectly. Everyone joked they were a good match— the two praetors, Jason's calm, cool collectedness to match Reyna's fiery, fierceness. They worked perfectly together in battle, they could always make the right decisions for Rome, but, at least in his mind, their relationship wasn't working.

Jason continued to walk down the beach. The sun was barely touching the horizon now, bathing him in a soft red glow, and he reflected to that day, years ago, when he had sat here with Percy, making peace over a setting sun. The waves were nice and calm, as if the son of Neptune were keeping him that way.

His relationship with Reyna, Jason reflected, was like one of Leo's machines— perhaps Festus. It could look great, and work fine, and be perfectly balanced, but without one key part, as in the dragons control disk, it would never be perfectly right.

And in this case, Jason knew exactly what that one part was, the part that prevented his relationship with Reyna from being perfect, the part that mean it would never fully work out.

She wasn't Piper.

Despite all of her greatness, her fighting skill, her attitude, her looks, Piper just had _something_, something that drew Jason towards her. The way she smiled, the little dimple on her chin, the way he never could decide what colour her eyes were… it was incredible. He remembered the first time he saw her, waking up on the wilderness school bus with her holding his hand. He had been stunned by her then, and he was still stunned by her.

And then he came to a decision. Piper, as far as he knew, was still single, even though with her looks, she probably had a boyfriend by now, but Jason couldn't do it. He couldn't just sit here for the rest of his life, faking happy with a girl who loved him while the girl _he_ loved was tantalizingly out of reach.

He had made up his mind. He had to see Piper again, one more time, just to say goodbye and tell her how he felt. Apologize for leaving her. Hope she didn't hate him.

And with that he wheeled around and was running up the beach, his feet sending sand flying behind him. A couple of campers gave their praetor odd looks as he tore towards the Pomerian line, but Jason ignored them. He barely stopped to drop his coin and a pen he had in his pocket at the statue of Terminus before bolting towards the principal.

He slammed through the doors and stood there, gasping. Reyna was working, bent over a piece of paper with her long, dark hair falling into her dark eyes. She looked up, surprised to see him standing there, gasping for breath.

"Jason," she said warmly. "What's up?"

"I need to go to Camp Half-blood," Jason gasped.

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**Well? what did you guys think? tell me if you want it to end happily or sad. It'll probably be Jasper all the way, but i'm not sure yet.**

**Reviews make me continue and update faster!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm not really happy with this chapter, but i didn't know what to type. The next one will be kind of dodgy as well, but after that when Jason actually runs into Piper, i hope the stories going to get more interesting. Anyways, here's a new chapter. **

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Reyna just sat there, looking at him. She hadn't clued in on his reasons yet, thankfully. Her dagger was within reach, and Jason was hoping she didn't reach for it.

"Why?" She asked calmly, confused. "The war's over. Did you forget something?"

Jason was torn between lying and telling the truth. Lying would probably better for her feelings and his health, but despite not loving her, Jason cared about Reyna and didn't want to hurt her by lying, so he took a deep breath.

"I—I have to see Piper," he admitted. As soon as it was out, the rest of the worlds came like a torrent: "Don't take this the wrong way, Reyna— I like you, I really do. It's just Piper… well, there's something about her, and I'm not saying that you don't have it, but I'm not saying that you do, Piper is just… You're a great girl Reyna, and it's been great going out with you… but…." Jason stopped, looking desperately at his fellow praetor, half ready for an attack or a verbal assault.

Instead, Reyna burst into tears.

Jason was shocked. Never, not once, had he seen Reyna cry. Not when they had been reunited, or during any injury, not even when her sister had been killed in the Giant War. Now she sat at her desk, head buried in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Hey," he said, stepping closer. "Reyna, I-I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, but…"

"DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT ME?" she suddenly screamed, standing up and glaring at him. James shrunk back a bit but held his ground. "You're saying that you love another girl, and you didn't mean to hurt me?"

"Well _sorry_," Jason snapped back, regaining his composure and feeling anger of his own flow into his veins. "I can't control where my heart goes, Reyna. You think I want this? To be stuck between to girls, watching you cry because I just broke your heart? You think this feels good?"

He was slightly shocked at his own words. He had said them out of pure anger, but by the looks of things, it had just made it worse. Reyna collapsed on her chair again, her body shaking with the occasional sob.

Jason had no clue what to do as he stood there, rocking uncertainly on his heels. He was praetor, so he should just be able to get some mortal money from the camps stash, hop on an airplane and fly to New York. His dad would protect him in the air, and he knew he could deal with any monster that attacked him on the ground, but staring at a sobbing Reyna, it felt too mean to just leave, so he stepped forwards and softly put a hand on her shoulder. He flinched back, expecting a fist or foot, but nothing happened. Reyna just sat there.

The sad thing was, as bad as Jason felt, it didn't bother him as much as it should have, standing there watching Reyna sob. If it had have been Piper….

"Just go," she sobbed eventually. "Before you do, though, answer me this— what did I do wrong?" her voice cracked again, and Jason's guilt increased. "I-I gave you everything, Jason. _Everything_. Where did I go wrong?"

"You're just—" his voice broke. "You're just not her, Reyna. You're just not her." And with that, Reyna tore out of the room in tears, leaving Jason standing there feeling like someone had rammed a pike through his chest.

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**Poor Reyna :'( this wasn't that hard to write, since i never supported Jeyna, but i still felt like a jerk making Jason do that. I didn't really express his feelings as much this chapter, so sorry about that. **

**Also, to anyone who reads my other story, Lost In Time, I'm a bit stumped of ideas, so it'll be a couple of days before i update. **

**Reviews make me update faster! on both stories!**


	4. Chapter 4

**OKay, two things. One, thank you sooo much to everyone who's reviewed my story— i never thought it would get this big when i started off on a one shot. You guys are the best. **

**Secondly, to the person who flamed me saying i was insulting Reyna by making her cry over a guy— it's a story, mate. Reyna did show emotion in the SoN. She showed worry for her camp and for Jason. She's allowed to show emotions when she got her heart broken. **

**Okay, sorry. New, longer chapter, because you guys are amazing. **

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The sky.

Jason normally felt at home here— comfortable, at home, save. Sometimes he even imagined that there was a little buzz around, like he could feel his father, the pride, the recognition of the Olympian.

Now, all he felt was confused. And a bit worried.

Worried, because it was as if every other girl around him had been cut off. Erased. They didn't attract him at all. Pretty stewardess? Nothing. Girl sitting in the row in front of him, who was flirting non-stop? Jason barely registered it. Beautiful security guard who insisted she had to pat him down at security? Nada. It was like they had all been shut off for him, and the only girl that mattered was Piper.

Confused because he didn't know why these feeling had sprung up all of a sudden, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Venus was messing with him. When you suddenly get undeniable feelings about the girl you thought you were over, a year after seeing her last, you know you did something to piss off the Love goddess. At least, that's what he told himself. Deep down, though, he knew that nothing was affecting him. It had been there all along, the feelings for Piper, but he had shot them down because Reyna just seemed more right. Not felt, seemed. They were perfect for each other— two puzzle pieces that clicked together, Gwen had once said. He could calm her down, and she could comfort him.

But Piper… she just had _it_. An un-resistible tug in his gut, constant as a compass, pointing towards the beautiful daughter of Venus. The way her eyes changed, the way she carried herself with such confidence despite her ratty clothes and unevenly cut hair, the way she could make his stomach leap dressed in pajamas and covered in soot.

"Drink, sir?"

There was the flight attendant again, smiling at him charmingly, short black hair framing her round face, her bright green eyes standing out on her pail skin.

_But she wasn't Piper. _

"No, thanks," he answered, forcing a smile onto his face. That pretty much summed up how his relationship with Reyna had been for a whole year— faked smiles, cheesy songs with no meaning behind them, dumb dates, everything just lightly forced. He had tried to deny it, while all the time it got stronger and stronger, that irresistible tug. It was past a crush now. He loved Piper McLean, with no doubt. He unswervingly, truly loved her, and no one could replace her.

The problem was, he hadn't seen her in a year, she was mad at him for leaving, and she probably had a boyfriend by now. The thought of seeing her with someone else gave Jason a horrible pain in his gut. It was like watching your parents fussing over another child- unnatural, wrong. Despite what people said about him and Reyna, about how they clicked, he didn't feel that way, at least not for her. He felt that way for Piper, how she smiled, her voice, her ferocity, and just _her_, in all her brilliance.

The plane had started to descend towards New York, and Jason reflected on how he got here. Camp Jupiter had a decent supply of mortal money, and being praetor, he had no trouble dipping into some of it and buying himself a plane ticket. On his way to the airport he had been bombarded with questions— "Where are you going?" "Is there more danger?" "Do you need an escort?". All he had told them was that he was going to Camp Half Blood for diplomatic purposes. It wasn't a lie, technically.

He had nothing to do on the plane but brood, something that he had been doing reasonably well lately. There were so many thoughts bouncing around his head he didn't think he'd be able to focus on anything else.

He glanced out the window long enough to see a flash of something black and quick for a second. He thought it might be a monster, but wasn't the slightest bit worried; He was in his home territory in the air, with his sword in his pocket and his dad looking over him from above.

The plane touched down with a slight bump, and Jason felt his stomach lurch with nerves. What if Piper hated him? What if they ignored him at Camp Half-blood? What if all his friends were against him?

Part of Jason realized he probably should have written ahead and given them warning, but it had been too rushed, too hurried. He _had_ to see Piper. He depended on it. Even if she hated it, he needed to say what he felt, just so she would know. He owed her that after breaking her heart and picking Reyna. He had gone with what his mind said, what other people said, and now he regretted it.

He didn't know how he was going to get to Camp Half-Blood, he realized while climbing off the plane. A taxi, maybe? The grey sisters were fast, but Jason had no desire to ride with them, especially not when his stomach was flipping with nervous. He couldn't get Piper's face out of his mind. It danced across his visions, taunting him almost, that half-smile, the light bouncing around her eyes, how everything about her just seemed to glow.

Jason was walking outside when he was slammed into and sent flying through a wall, the brick shattering and collapsing around him.

He was too shocked to even reach for his sword as a monster loomed over him, and eight foot call giant with a twisted face and a fireball cannon held in his hand. Jason scrambled backwards as the giant cocked his arm, ready to throw. Maybe if he was dead, he wouldn't have to deal with any of this anymore. He could go to Elysium and wait for Piper there. He could explain to her how he felt and hope she forgiven him, because heaven wouldn't be the same without her.

Suddenly, the point of a sword appeared through the giants chest. He looked down, surprised, before dissolving into ash and showering the demi-god who had just saved Jason's life.

"Hello, Jason," Percy Jackson said grimly, leaning forwards and gripping him by the arm, hauling him to his feet. "We have a lot to talk about."

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**Wow. I was actually decently pleased with this piece of writing. That has to be a first. **

**So, next chapter, i'm thinking of doing a short-is one from Piper's point of view, and then the one after that they meet. What do you guys think?**

**Reviews are the best thing ever. The more reviews i get, the faster i update**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, in contrast to the last chapter, which i was pretty pleased with, this chapter i don't like very much. It's short and doesn't have much point to it, and it isn't well written, but i'm having writers block and this is the best i could do. **_  
_

**Huge, huge thanks to everyone and anyone who reviews my stories. Special thanks to the guest (awesomeness) who flamed me twice last chapter, not only making me laugh but also bringing me to 35 reviews. **

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_Dear Jason_.

She crossed that out.

_Jason. Hey_.

Another clean strike-through.

_Hello, Jason_.

No.

_Hey, Sparky. _

That wasn't right, either. Piper sat back in her chair, sighing in frustration as she stared at the piece of paper. She had been trying— and failing— for the last half hour to start a letter to her ex.

She wasn't really sure _why_ she was doing this. He had left her for Reyna, left her with a broken heart, and she had moved on. Sure, there were days when she missed his cheerful attitude, and the way his eyes shone, and how he was always there for her, but in the most part she had gotten over him.

And now, for some reason, she felt the need to write a letter to him. She wasn't in trouble, or looking for advice, or in need of anything. She just wanted to talk to him. To hear— or read— his voice, to know how he was doing, what was going on in Camp Jupiter. Plain and short, Piper just wanted to talk to him.

Almost like she missed him.

But no. She couldn't miss him. He had left her, broken hearted to go with _Reyna_. She had given him everything, loved him, helped him, given him space when he needed it and comfort when he wanted it. Reyna hadn't done any of that. She had been cold, hard to get and mean, but Jason still chased after her and left Piper to go back to Camp Half-blood.

Her phone lit up with a text from her boyfriend, Will. Piper sighed and reached to reply, but something stopped her. Things with Will just weren't…. on. She loved being around him, and he could make her laugh, and he was sweet, but it didn't feel right. Almost like they weren't meant to be. That is, Aphrodite hadn't taken a picture of them, framed it with one of her heart-shaped picture frames and stuck it up on the 'wall of shippings.' Piper knew for a fact Percy and Annabeth, Travis and Katie and Silena and Beckendorf were on that wall.

So, instead of replying to the message, Piper leaned back over the paper and tried, once again, to start a letter to Jason.

_Jason,_

_How's it been, at Camp Jupiter? Are you guys recovering alright from after the war? Is Terminus still having PTSD from the time you took your nail clippers over the Pomerian line?_

_I've moved back to California with my dad for a year. He said he was getting lonely after Coach Hedge left, so I'm up with him, maybe permanently. I've started thinking, maybe being a demigod isn't right for me. I'm just not cut out for it. _

_Anyways, have you heard anything from the rest of the seven? How's Percy doing? I heard Nico decided to stay at Camp Half Blood permanently. Do you know why? _

_Anyways, I gotta go. I'm kind of busy. Reply soon. _

_Thanks, _

_ Piper. _

She frowned, unhappy with the ending. _Thanks, Piper? _Shouldn't she put like dear? Yours sincerely? Something like that?

As she was sealing the envelope, she wondered how she was going to send it to camp Jupiter. She heard they used messenger eagles, but she had no clue where to find one of those. She didn't think regular mail service would work and wasn't really looking forwards to flying down to Frisco just to deliver a letter that she didn't even know why she was typing.

And then an Iris message popped up in front of her. She yelpedin shock and dropped the letter, which fluttered to the ground as she stared, wide-eyed, at Jason and Percy through the mist.

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**Okay, so i have this goal: i want to reach a hundred reviews on this story, which probably means i'll be dragging it out as long as i possibly can to maximize reviews :D. Sorry to all my readers who want Jason and Piper to be together quickly, it's not going to happen like that. **

**Sorry for the chapter being so disappointingly short. Next one will be longer, i promise. On that note, i'll make a deal with you guys: lets say twelve reviews for the chapter and i'll update three times next week?**

**Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, good people of the internet! In this chapter, Jason spills his heart to Percy, who then— whoops. Spoilers. **

**Incase you don't read my other story, Lost in Time, then you don't know i'm sinking into PMOAD. Post Mark Of Athena Depression. Honestly, how could Rick do that to us? anyways, i'll stop rambling, and you'll start reading, and you'll like it, and you'll review, and you'll suggest it to all your friends, and it'll explode and become the biggest story on FF**

**Ha, like that's gonna happen. I'd be happy with ten reivews.**

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"And know, I just really miss her," Jason finished at length, looking at Percy who was sitting next to him, half amused and half grim. His friend had changed; he was taller and more filled out, and there was more pain behind his eyes from the Giant War. "Do you understand?"

"So you broke her heart, and now you're going back begging for forgiveness?" Percy summed up for him. They were sitting in a normal taxi, on their way to Half-Blood Hill, and Jason had just spilled his heart out to Percy about his sudden feelings for Piper, partly because he thought Percy could help, partly because he just needed to get it out, into words. It was like, by saying it, he was admitting the fact that he had fallen in love with Piper again. And surprisingly, it felt… good. It felt right, coming public with it. Like it should feel.

"Pretty much," Jason nodded. The cab bumped down the road as the two were silent for a minutes, Jason fidgeting nervously with his hands and Percy deep in thought.

"Well, it's not going to be easy," he admitted. "I mean, last I heard she hated you, but I think you could do it…" he looked down apologetically. "Sorry. I'm not really good at this."

"It's okay," Jason shrugged. He could ask one of the Aphrodite girls, but if word leaked he would have to put up with eternal teasing from his friends, mainly Leo. "I guess you've never been in this situation before."

Percy's teeth flashed in a humorless smile that told Jason he had been in _exactly_ this position before. "Not exactly," he admitted. "But I have been caught between two girls before. And we had to fight a war as well."

"So can you help me out?" Jason asked, slightly desperate. Again, Percy smirked.

"Not really," he smiled. "One became the Oracle and the other kissed me, so I didn't have much deciding to do."

"I don't have to decide either," Jason said, dropping his gaze. "I've already chosen. I just don't know if she has."

Percy obviously didn't know what to say. He mumbled something about not being the best at this and looked at the ground. "We'll be at camp in ten minutes."

This sent a burst of thrill through Jason, accompanied with nerves at the thought of what Piper would do at the sight of him. Would she be happy? Sad? Angry? He was guessing she would probably greet him coldly, but he was prepared for that, and he was determined. He _would_ win her heart back, no matter what it took.

"That's good," he said brightly. "I can see Piper!" her name felt _right_ rolling off of his tongue. He hadn't spoken it in ages and the name brought back a flood of memories. Fighting along side her at the wolf house, racing through the forest after Buford, the first time their lips had touched, when she though they were going to die in an explosion.

"Yeah… um…" Percy muttered, looking at the floor again. "About that…."

"She won't like me?" Jason asked. "That's fine. I'm prepared." And he was.

"No, it's not that," Percy said. "A month or so after the giant war, she… um… she left camp."

There was a stunned silence in the cab, Percy fiddling with riptide and Jason sitting there in shock. It was like a punch in the gut. _Piper wasn't at camp. _There were hundreds of meanings he could get from that. She could be on vacation, or living somewhere else, or at a boarding school, or doing a movie with her dad, or getting a summer job, but Jason's mind immediately went to the worst possible explanation.

"Is she dead?"

"No!" Percy said quickly, seeing the anger and hurt in Jason's eyes. The cap slid off riptide and the sword expanded, plunging into the floor, but Percy didn't even notice. "She's not dead, Jason. There were a couple of demigods outside the border… monsters after them, satyr passed out, all the bad stuff that can happen. Piper ran to help them. She did, but she got a nasty cut on her leg and decided she was done with this."

"Done with what?" Jason asked, huge relief flooding him as he realized Piper wasn't dead. He didn't know what he would have done if she was.

"Being a demi-god," Percy explained, seeing riptide and re-capping the pen before the cabbie could notice. "She went to live with her dad in L.A, help with the movie's, keep him company. Had a boyfriend, the last I heard." Percy cringed when he said this, as if expecting Jason to lash out at him, but the son of Jupiter just sat there in shock. Piper was gone. Piper had a boyfriend. Piper didn't want to be a demi-god anymore.

He thought of her boyfriend and rage shot through him, thunder booming in the sky above. He could easily kill that boy without a thought— strike him down, cut clean through him with a sword or just beat him up with his bare hands. Someone was dating Piper. Piper, who now had his heard wrapped around her finger. She was meant to be with _him, _not some weedy mortal boy who couldn't hold his own in a fight against the school bully, let alone the King of the Giants.

"Jason," Percy said, and there was a dangerous edge to his voice. "_Calm down._"

It was difficult, but Jason took a deep breath and tried to clear his head from the images of whoever Piper was dating getting cleaved in half by his sword. He looked over at Percy, and was surprised to see sympathy, not anger, in the eyes of his cousin.

"You want to talk to her, don't you?" Percy asked softly, and Jason found himself nodding. It didn't matter that she probably hated him, or that she was dating someone else— he just had to see her face. Hear her voice.

"Do you have a phone?" Jason asked, knowing it was unlikely but hoping anyways. Percy shook his head.

"We can iris-message her," he offered. "That's better anyways."

"Where are we going to find a rainbow?" Jason asked sourly, his recently raised hopes plummeting faster than an injured Pegasus. Percy grinned.

"We don't need one," he said. "Iris— well, she said I don't have to worry about that anymore." He waved his hand at the empty air, and the image of a young girl appeared, with frizzy hair and eyes that changed from black to grey to white.

"Hiya, Percy," the girl said brightly. "Who do you want to call?"

"Hello, Fleecy," Percy smiled back. "Could you connect us to Piper McLean, please?"

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**OKay, before i beg for reviews, i have to clear a few things up. NinjaxSketcheartx gave me the idea for these past few chapters (Piper living in california and having a boyfriend), so thanks to him. Also, if you're confused, PIper isn't dating Will Solace. Just a random guy named Will, because that's the name my sister yelled at me when i asked for one. **

**Reviews make me happy! and update faster! twelve reviews for an insta-update!**


	7. Chapter 7

**You guys are the best! 54 reviews in 6 chapters! Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's nine reviews per chapter, way more than i thought I would get when i posted this as a one-shot. **

**Sorry about the last chapter being a filler one, but it was kind of necessary. In this one, Piper and jason come to face to face, finally! 2**

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There was an awkward moment of silence in the car. Percy smiled at Piper through the mist, but she was too shocked to smile back. Jason was sitting in front of her, looking just like he had the day he had left her.

Jason was having trouble breathing. Piper was right there. _Right there, sitting in front of him_. She hadn't changed a bit since he had last seen her; she still had the unevenly cut hair, kaleidescope eyes and was dressed in jeans and a large hoodie. Still, she took his breath away and made him wonder why he had ever left her for Reyna. Sure, Reyna was beautiful and all, but Piper was just so much more.

Percy cleared his throat, looking thoroughly uncomfortable. "Well," he said uneasily. "Some guy was hitting on Annabeth yesterday, and there's a group of monsters behind us. I think I might… you know, pretend their him." He told the cabbie to stop, got out and slammed the door, striding away with Riptide growing in his hands as he walked.

Another unbearable moment of silence. Piper was still staring at him with a blank expression. Jason desperately wished she would do _something_— scream at him, smile, cry, show any sort of facial expression that would tell him how he should play this.

"Um… hey?" He greeted tentatively. He was expecting Piper to freak out, but what happened next was far worse.

"Hello, Jason," she answered coolly, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. Her face had taken on a facial expression now— frosty anger that made him realize this was going to be a _lot_ harder than he had previously though.

"So… um… I heard you weren't at Camp Half-blood anymore," Jason said lamely. Why was this so hard? He used to never have to try to talk with Piper— she was just there, she understood him and never judged him. Now it was like trying to make conversation with Gaea. Scratch that, he thought. Gaea loved to make conversation, as long as it ended in a lot of threats and some dramatic foretelling.

"Nope," Piper replied, her voice still cold and hard. "I felt like no one _wanted me anymore_, so I left." Jason cringed, as he was sure that she had directed that right at him.

"Look, Piper—" He started, but she cut him off.

"No!" She suddenly yelled. "I will not 'look, Piper!'. You broke my heart, Jason. I gave you everything, and you still left me for that cold-hearted good-for-nothing daughter of the war goddess!" Jason opened his mouth to interrupt, but she didn't let him. "And now I'm not going to sit back and let you tell me how you're sorry that you left, and you want to come back just because Reyna got old! I loved you Jason! Sometimes… sometimes…" she couldn't get it out, so she just moved on. "Where did I go wrong? What made you leave me? You think you can jut come back asking for forgiveness and I'm just going to give it to you like some shallow, love-struck damsel-in-distress because I've been lying around for a year dreaming about you? I've moved on, buddy, and I think it's time you did the same thing." She moved to swipe her hand through the mist, and Jason felt like his heart was dropping through Tartarus while repeatedly getting stabbed by a rusty dagger. She had moved on. She didn't need him.

Piper swept her hand through the mist, but instead of breaking up, the edges of the Iris message just glowed pink for a second while the image stayed intact. Piper glared at him even harder.

"Go away, mom!" She yelled at the sky. Thunder rumbled through the Iris message, but nothing else happened. Jason gave a silent prayer to Aphrodite for keeping the connection going.

Outside, there was a bellow or rage. A second later, the Minotaur's head bounced off the window of the cab before falling to the floor. Jason head Percy whoop with joy in the distance, but it didn't matter.

"Look, Piper," he said, and she glared at him but didn't interrupt. "I know you're mad, and I know there's nothing I can do to change that. But, please believe me when I say I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, and I made the wrong decision, and I'm _sorry_."

For a second, just one desperate, wonderful second, Piper looked like she might forgive him, or maybe just a bit sympathetic, but then it was gone.

"Whatever, Jason," she sneered. "You can beg all you want, but I'm not going to forgive you." She swept her hand through the mist again, but again nothing happened.

"Tell me," Jason whispered. "You were going to say something, after you said you loved me. Please, tell me what you were going to say." Piper looked unsure, and it killed Jason to see the pain in her eyes. Pain he had inflicted upon her; it was killing him knowing he had done that.

"_Please," _he repeated. Then he played his trump card: "Aphrodite won't let you hang up until you do."

That did it. As much as she didn't want to admit it, looking at him, the guy who had broken her heart and left her for another girl was worse. She took a deep breath.

"I said I loved you," she told him at length. "And I was about to say that sometimes, every now and then… I think I still do." And then she swept her hand for a third time and the image in front of him disappeared. Jason sat there in shock, unable to move and having trouble breathing.

The door opened and Percy jumped inside. He was covered from head to toe in monster dust, but he didn't have a single mark on him. He was grinning.

"How'd it go?" He asked exuberantly, then caught sight of the look on Jason's face. "Oh. Based on that, I'm going to say… not well?"

Jason turned around and punched him.

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**Abrupt ending there, but i kind of just wanted to get this one up. Next chapter should be on wednesday, probably, so you don't have to wait long before it's up :D. It'll be another short one from Piper's point of view, but then i'll post another one 2-3 days later that'll be longer**.

**You know what makes me happy? Reviews. You know what makes you guys happy? Updates. The more reviews i get, the faster I update! it's a win-win!**

**REVIEW**


	8. Chapter 8

** I want to thank every single one of you who reviewed my last chapter, making it the most reviewed one in this story. Yay!**

**This chapter was actually pretty easy to write, although it was hard to get motivated. All of my stories are like that at the moment :(**

**Not to fear, though— I'm still typing (despite the fact I have a science test tomorrow. Shh) and a new chapter of Brotherband Chronicles should be up by wednesday at latest. **

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Piper stared at the air where the Iris-message had been; her lands limp at her sides and her head whirling. Seeing Jason… it had been like opening the floodgates to her memories that she had kept safely closed for a year now. He had looked exactly the same: regal, intense, _handsome._

_Don't think that, _she chided herself. _You're not allowed to think that. You hate him._ And as much as she repeated it, she couldn't bring herself to actually believe it— she knew it wasn't true. She was mad at him, and she deeply disliked him, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't hate him. Every time she thought she did, she remembered all the times they had shared together— fighting Dylan at the Wilderness School, facing of Cyclopes in Detroit, outsmarting Hercules himself on the way to Rome. And when she thought of all that, she couldn't bring herself to fully, truly hate him.

Of course, she was mad at him— her anger had showed in the Iris-message. It had all been real, the anger, the pain, the sorrow. But she just couldn't hate him.

She sat back in her chair with a sigh, wondering if Aphrodite was screwing with her again. She had said she would make her love life interesting, and Piper had heard of her doing stuff like this before. If it was, Piper needed to find her and smack her upside the head.

She stared at the little envelope in her hand. There was probably no point in sending it now… Piper's gaze went to the fire on the other side of the room. A little smile formed on her lips and she stood up, quickly striding through the furniture until she was standing in front of the flames. It should have come easy, letting go with her fingers and watching the envelope flutter down into the fire, then stepping back and it first turned black at the edges, then started to curl inwards. Then the actual fire would take place as the blaze caught the rest of the envelope. It would go up in flames, and all her problems would be gone.

But… she couldn't bring herself to do it, just like she couldn't bring herself to hate Jason. He was her sole connection to the demi-god life, as twisted and painful as that connection may be. Dropping it into the fire would be like trying to hide a whole side of her.

But she could do that, couldn't she? For years she had hid half of her— the outgoing, fun side. The side who worried about boys and wanted to look nice. The side who actually had a part in this world— not her demi-god side, but the side she had showed… when she had met Jason.

She could almost hear Aphrodite giggling in delight all the way from Olympus. She made a face, although she couldn't deny the fact; Jason was her demi-god link as much as Annabeth was Percy's mortal link. She hated the fact, but she couldn't deny that it was true.

The thought made her angry. Gritting her teeth, she stuck her hand out over the fire, the envelope clutched tightly between her fingers. Her one link to the world that she had been in for years. The world she felt normal in. The world that new her.

She let go, and the envelope fluttered towards the fire. Piper held her breath, but before it could reach the flames, a pink door opened in mid-air, swallowed the envelope and disappeared.

"_MOM!" _

Jason was scared he had made Percy mad. He had seen the Son of Poseidon angry, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Plus, his mind was too confused to fight at the moment.

Instead, Percy popped back up from where he had fallen out of the car, grinning goofily. "Woohoo! Welcome back, Jason Grace!" He climbed back into the car, rubbing the side of his face. "Sorry, you looked a bit off there. Had to make sure you were still, you know, you."

"It's okay," Jason mumbled, his head still swimming after talking to Piper. She hated him, he was sure of it. The way she had spoken to him, each word like a red-hot metal bar slammed against his chest, had shown him that he had no hope of being forgiven.

"Does she hate you?" Percy asked, sitting down next to him and speaking briefly to the cabbie, who started the motor and continued the drive. Jason nodded numbly as they trundled over the uneven road.

"The way she spoke to me…." Percy nodded sympathetically, looking confused and helpless at the same time. "How could I go back to her now?"

"You'll just have to try," Percy said. "I mean, how hard can it be? We fought Gaea, didn't we?"

"Gaea over angry woman…." Jason considered. "Piper has a knife, so I would have to say she's more deadly." Percy chuckled and Jason found himself smiling as well.

"I would have to agree with you," he smiled. "Although Annabeth angry might top even that…" Again, Jason laughed. The sound was so foreign, as if he hadn't laughed in a while. Come to think of it, he hadn't. The last couple of months had all been fake smiles and forced laughs to try to convince his friends. Now, after only a couple of minutes around Percy, who was from Camp Half-blood, he was laughing truly for the first time in ages.

Almost as if he was meant to be with the Greeks. But that made no sense. He was Roman— born Roman, trained Roman and branded Roman. He let his eyes drift down to the tattoo on his arm: SPQR, The Senate and People of Rome. As praetor, it was his duty to look after them. He wasn't doing much of that now, was he?

"Percy?" He asked cautiously. The son of Poseidon looked over expectantly. "Um… do you think it's possible that… well… that the Fates have chosen me to be Greek?" It was a stupid question, but it was the only explanation he could think of as to why he was acting this was— desperate to be with Piper, visiting the other camp, not fitting in with his own family.

Percy frowned, pondering the question. He opened his mouth then closed it again, frowning, before finally answering.

"I think… well, the fates don't mess with things that aren't serious," he started at length. "So if you're coming to Camp Half-blood, then there has to be a reason."

Jason groaned. "No more fighting, please," he frowned, half to Percy, half to the sky in form of a prayer. He didn't like training anymore, much less an actual war— he had gone through far too much in his short life for another war.

"I hope not," Percy answered. "I've done enough fighting for a lifetime. But with the fates…" he shrugged. "You just never know."

Jason was about to agree when a pink slit opened up in mid-air and a letter dropped through, landing in his lap.

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**If you can leave a cliffhanger on a romance story, I think I might have done just that. Sorry :(. I'm going to try to get into a regular updating schedule with my stories. I'll go friday, saturday and sunday for each of my stories. **

**Anyways, if we get eleven reviews that'll put us at an average of ten reviews per chapter. Can we do it?**

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	9. Chapter 9

**New chapter! Yay! and a longer one as well, by about half a page. It's still pretty short, compared to Brotherband, but it's longer than normal. Hooray!**

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Jason stood alone in the Zeus cabin at Camp Half-blood. They had arrived shortly after the letter had dropped out of the sky—thanks to Aphrodite— and had immediately been greeted by a knot of campers. Apparently, Blackjack the Pegasus had tol Percy about Jason arriving and the Son of Poseidon went to greet him. Jason thought it was a bit creepy he had been stalked by a horse but was grateful all the same, because Percy had saved his life by coming.

Now he stood in the cold marble cabin, trying to breath regularly and summoning the courage to open the letter in his hands. It was from Piper, that much was obvious. He could recognize her handwriting on the front, saying his name and _Camp Jupiter, New Rome_ up in the corner. He smiled despite himself, wondering how she was planning to mail it to him. Camp Jupiter didn't really do mail.

Based on the weight of the letter, he could tell it was a single sheet of paper, probably folded in three. Obviously, it was no long letter, but it was something, and it sent a bolt of joy through him knowing that Piper had voluntarily written to him. Maybe she didn't hate him completely, despite the way she had yelled at him on the Iris message.

It had been such a shock, seeing her face and realizing that she wasn't a demi-god anymore. He didn't know why she would do that. She had always said that the way she dealt with life was killing monsters. She had fit in with the demi-gods— not the kleptomaniac, troubled kid, just a normal ADHD kid with a lethal weapon. It had been her family for years, and she had gotten up and left. Had he done that to her? He hoped not. He didn't want to be the reason Piper had abandoned everything she loved just because he made the memories too painful. But if it was the Fates messing with him— were he and Piper destined to be together? Or was he supposed to be Greek? Or both? Maybe he had meant to be Greek, but Zeus had accidentally shown up Roman and birthed him wrong. But then everything else would have changed. It probably would have been Reyna who got stuck on a bus with no memories, and it may have been Jason who was thrown to the Wolf House, not Percy.

Thinking about it made his head hurt, so he went to another, less confusing subject; _Sometimes, I think I still do._ That's what Piper had said about loving him. Sometimes, she thought she still loved him. There may be hope for him yet.

The thought gave him enough courage to open the letter from Piper. He tore the seal and pulled the single sheet of paper out, taking a deep breath before unfolding it and looking down.

The first thing he saw was three tries to address him. He smiled at her tries and the fact she didn't know what to say. Finally, she just used _Jason_. He read the letter:

_Jason,_

_How's it been, at Camp Jupiter? Are you guys recovering alright from after the war? Is Terminus still having PTSD from the time you took your nail clippers over the Pomerian line?_

Jason smiled ruefully at the memory of it; he had barely taken two steps over the line before the air had been filled with yelling and he was blown back into the ground. That was before he had chosen Reyna and the Greeks had sailed back home.

_I've moved back to California with my dad for a year. He said he was getting lonely after Coach Hedge left, so I'm up with him, maybe permanently. I've started thinking, maybe being a demigod isn't right for me. I'm just not cut out for it. _

A year? Only a year? It had been a year since the war had ended, and Percy had said Piper left demi-god life a couple of months after that. So she should be back in a month or two, if she chose to come back. She did say that she was thinking of staying permanently, because she wasn't cut out for Demi-god life. Jason had about ten points going against that, but focused on reading the letter instead.

_Anyways, have you heard anything from the rest of the seven? How's Percy doing? I heard Nico decided to stay at Camp Half Blood permanently. Do you know why? _

Nico had decided to stay at Camp Half-blood after the war mainly so he didn't die— being trapped in Tartarus had really shaken up the son of Pluto/Hades. He was still dark and lonely, but he participated in games and camp activities now, at least that's what Jason had heard.

_Anyways, I gotta go. I'm kind of busy. Reply soon. _

_Thanks, _

_ Piper. _

Write back. She wanted him to write back. Almost as if she missed him? Did she want him to talk to her? Maybe she thought they could be friends? These thoughts whirled around Jason's head as he re-read the letter. It was no doubt written by Piper, but based on the fact it had dropped out of mid-air through a glowing pink portal, Aphrodite was messing with them again. So Piper had written it, but she hadn't meant to send it. Aphrodite had done that for her.

Jason felt an odd gratitude for the goddess of love. Maybe—just maybe— he and Piper were meant to be together. It made sense, her suddenly writing to him, him suddenly deciding he needed to be with her. Trying to make sense of it was making Jason's head hurt, so he decided to do just what the letter said— write back. He hunted around his quickly packed bag until he found a piece of paper and a pen, then sat down on the floor and started to write.

_Piper,_

_Please don't rip this up the moment you get it. I realize you're mad at me, and you have every right to be, but hear me out. _

_I. Am. Sorry. _

_There's nothing else I can say that will make it better, and I know. I just wish that I could re-wind the clock and take back my actions, but guess what? I can't. I'm not Kronos, and if I were I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have dated me. _

_Please, Piper. What you said when we were IMing, about sometimes thinking you still love me. That has to mean something, doesn't it? Even if you hate me, do you feel something, anything, that says you could forgive me? I know you probably want me to shut up now, and you probably haven't even read this far before you burned this letter, so I'll go now. _

_Go ahead, burn the letter. I'll never know, and you could live happily with your mortal boyfriend and forget the gods ever existed; feel free. But just know, the whole year with Reyna, heck, all the years with Reyna and Camp Jupiter— all the fun, all the danger and all the excitement— I would give it all up for one more day with you. _

_Hopping you'll get far enough to read this, _

_Sparky. _

Jason wasn't sure if that was a good way to sign off— their inside joke, her pet name for him. Would that stir memories, just make her hate him more? Jason was thinking maybe, but it was too late anyways.

Taking a deep breath, he lit one of the braziers and held the letter over it. Even if this was Zeus's cabin, Aphrodite could probably still tell if he was praying to her. Feeling kind of stupid, he closed his eyes and held up the letter.

"Um… Aphrodite? If you can here me, then you probably know what I'm going to ask. I'm pretty sure you're meddling with me, and I want to know why. I was happy with Reyna…. I think. No, I wasn't. I was _faking _being happy, and now I actually want to be happy. So… if you could deliver this envelope to Piper, that'd be great. Thank you." He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, before dropping the letter into the fire. Just as he hoped, it flashed pink, and the letter was gone.

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**What did you guys think? too short? too long? you can tell me in a review :)**

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	10. Chapter 10

**Longer chapter! Yay!**

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"You alright?" Percy asked as they walked to diner. Annabeth was on the other side, and Percy had filled her in on Jason's situation. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but was kind of glad he had Annabeth helping him out.

"Yeah," Jason murmured. "I just kind of preoccupied, I guess."

"I can see why," Percy smirked. He was holding hands with Annabeth and Jason felt like he was interfering with their alone time, although they had both assured him it was all right. "Did you send a letter back to Piper?"

"How did you know?" Jason questioned, surprised. Percy chuckled lightly and Annabeth smiled, her grey eyes twinkling.

"When the Aphrodite cabin starts glowing randomly, you can guess something big happened," she told him, and he felt his cheeks burning red. The rest of the camp may not be able to link his sudden appearance with Aphrodite's glowing cabin, but he was pretty sure some of the Aphrodite girls could, and then there would be no stopping them.

Another thing he noticed— he was thinking of them as Aphrodite, not Venus. He quickly quizzed himself in his head on the gods: Trident–Poseidon. Hammer– Hephaestus. Bow and arrow– Apollo.

The Greek names popped into his head before the roman ones did, and that puzzled him. He had always thought Roman, even when his memory had been wiped and he had appeared at a Greek camp. Now the Greek names were popping into his head, and he was at the Greek camp, wanting to date a Greek girl. He checked his forearm frantically, to make sure the SPQR tattoo was still there. It was, much to his relief. This sudden movement didn't go unnoticed to Annabeth, who furrowed her brow.

"Is something wrong, Jason?" she asked, her hands hovering over her dagger. Riptide was already in Percy's hand— when had he drawn that?

"Nothing," Jason lied. "Just thought there was a wasp on my arm." Percy seemed to believe it, but Annabeth looked at him dubiously. Her eyes told him they would talk about this later.

They reached the pavilion and Annabeth peeled off, giving Percy a quick peck on the cheek before going over to the Athena table. Percy went towards the Poseidon, leaving Jason with a long silver table and a head full of thoughts. He sank down onto the bench and the plate magically appeared in front of him, along with some cutlery and a cup. The absent-mindedly fingered the purple trimming on the white table cloth that covered his table. Purple, the colour of New Rome. That had to mean something… right?

Jason realized he was grasping at straws and tried to force the thoughts of Greeks and Romans out of his mind as the plate appeared in front of him, with grapes, cheese, lean-cut beef and a slice of pizza. He dug in, realizing he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast that morning in New Rome. The day had been frantic— sprinting to the pavilion, catching a plane, getting attacked by monsters, the iris-message with Piper, the letter, his letter…. Now, he finally had a chance to relax, but his brain wasn't letting him. His thoughts whirled around his head, bouncing from Piper to Reyna to Camp Jupiter and back again. He was pretty sure he could hear Aphrodite giggling with delight.

Jason realized he was getting a lot of odd looks from people at the adjoining tables, but he tried to ignore them, focusing instead on his food. He knew that you weren't allowed to change tables and Camp Half-blood, so that's why he was surprised when Percy slid into the bench opposite of him. He was carrying a plate and cup with him.

"What're you doing?" Jason question, slightly irked. He wanted to be alone, although he realized Percy was trying to do him something good so he tried to shove away his annoyance.

"We're technically not allowed to switch tables," Percy explained. "But Chiron won't mind that much if I sit with you; I think he feels bad for the three of us." He jerked his head in Nico's direction to explain who the third member was. "Because we have to eat alone."

"I don't think Nico minds," Jason noted, casting his eyes in the direction of the son of Hades, who was glowering at anyone who got within ten feet of his table. Percy smirked.

"The two of us, then," he corrected. "Anyways, I was thinking— I checked the Internet, and there's a flight leaving to California tomorrow. I can talk to Chiron tonight at the bonfire, see if he minds us leaving. Then you and me can head up to Piper and see if we can snag you a date."

"Must you come?" Jason asked, realizing he sounded rude a moment after he said it. Percy didn't seem to take offense though.

"Piper's less likely to stab you if I'm there," he smiled. "Not that you couldn't beat her in a fight, just…"

"Hero of Olympus," Jason nodded. He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit jealous of Percy's title, but he had gotten over it. "Gotcha. Pulling rank."

"Exactly," Percy agreed. "I'll talk to Chiron after diner, and we leave tomorrow." The prospect made Jason's heart leap and his stomach started to dance wildly. It was the feeling you got right before you were about to fight a monster, he reflected; scared but excited at the same time, not knowing what was to come but assuming it would be pretty bad, and yet wanting to do it anyways. Part of him knew that it was probably best to keep his hopes in check and steel his heart, but he couldn't stop from feeling hopeful. Maybe when Piper saw him she would realize she didn't hate him any more. He was wishful thinking, but he couldn't help it. He was going to see Piper again.

Linebreak

"This is terrible," Percy muttered, hands griped tightly on the are rest of his chair. "This is awful. This is the worst thing ever. Why did I _ever _do this for you, Grace?"

"You volunteered," Jason smirked, casting an amused glance in Percy's direction. He probably knew that Zeus wouldn't blast the pair of them out of the sky with Jason on board, but if he did, it didn't help quench his fear. His knuckled where white and his face was pale as well as they lifted off the ground and into the air. Jason tried to reassure him.

"Dad wouldn't kill me," he assured. "You'll be fine."

"Last time I took a plane," Percy gasped. "I had his master bolt in my backpack. Now I have his only son beside me. I'm trying to figure out which one Zeus considers more valuable."

Jason was about to retort, but then realized Percy was probably right. You never got much attention from your parents as a demi-god, especially not as a child of the big three. Since you weren't supposed to exist, your parent couldn't acknowledge you at all. Plus, mortals withered and died. Mega-powerful weapons of destruction lasted forever and helped shatter mountains. Although he _wanted _to think his dad saw him as more important, he couldn't be one hundred percent sure. That just showed how sad his life was.

"I'm kidding," Percy said, noticing the look in Jason's eye. "I know your dad won't blow us out of the air. It's just a natural fear I have."

"Heights?"

"_Air_."

Jason shook his head and picked up his iPod, plugging in his earphones and leaning back in his chair, completely relaxed. Percy had picked up the in-flight magazine and was looking at it blankly, his dyslexia no doubt scrambling the words up until they were impossible to read. Giving up, he placed it on the floor and went back to staring intently at the seat in front of him.

The flight seemed to pass quickly for Jason, although he was sure it was a lot slower to Percy. The whole time his hands didn't leave the armrest and he kept muttering prayers under his breath to any god he could think of:

"Hey Apollo. Remember that time I saved one of your cows? If you wanna help me out now, that'd be great…. Athena, I know you hate me, but if I die your daughter will be sad, and you don't want that, right? So if you could, like, talk to uncle and try to calm him down… Ares, we're worst enemies— almost— but if I die, who's there for you to have insult wars with? Just keep Zeus busy for an hour more, and I'll let you fight me. Hey Artemis…"

It went on for almost the whole flight, Percy praying to every god, minor or major. He appealed to their roman side as well, muttering about how he was a good centurion and deserved to live. Jason found it amusing.

As they drew closer to California, he could feel his heart beating faster with anticipation. It was the same feeling he used to get right before he saw Piper, or kissed her or fought with her or anything. Once again, Jason wondered how he had ever left her for Reyna. All this anticipation was making time go slower and the plane seemed to be moving through honey.

Finally, after what seemed like hours for Jason and was probably much longer for Percy, the plane touched down in California. Percy breathed a sigh of relief and sat up straight.

"That wasn't so bad," he said with a smile. "Erm… do you have any mortal money I can borrow? I kind of need to buy Demeter a bouquet of flowers…" Jason shook his head and smirked.

"What do you have to do for Aphrodite?"

"Nothing," Percy said, a glint in his eye. "Well… something, but nothing." Jason had his suspicions that Aphrodite had made Percy promise something to do with _him_, but dismissed it.

"We can catch a taxi," Percy offered as they walked through the airport. "I know roughly where her house is, and I could always send an IM to her saying we're going to arrive."

"Is that a good idea?" Jason wondered. "She might… I dunno, be waiting outside her door with a knife and a shotgun. You never know."

"I don't think she'll do that," Percy smiled. "She doesn't hate you _that_ much…"

"Yes she does," Jason replied sadly. He knew it for a fact, and that was why he hated himself. For doing that to her, when he could have just stayed with her. It was incredible what one little decision could do, on short sentence.

"_I think I'm staying here, Perce. Rome is my family." _

Those were the exact words he had told Percy when the son of Poseidon offered him a ride home on the Argo. At that time, he had thought that Rome was where his family was— he had grown up there, he had fought there and he had dreamt of it for months while at Camp Half-blood. And no matter how hard he tried, he would always be roman by blood, and by rank. He had a tattoo on his arm.

His thoughts were interrupted as Percy stopped by the door, tapping one of the airport staff on the back.

"Sorry, sir," he apologized. "But do you know where I could buy a peacock?"

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**Oh, Percy in the air. I've always wanted to write about that :D**

**So, i seem to have realized this story is at 88 reviews. 88, it appears, is dramatically close to 100, only twelve numbers away. So please, please, please review this story and help me get to 100 reviews. It would mean so much to me. **

**REVIEW and help me get to 100!**


	11. Chapter 11

Percy and Jason climbed into a cab, as soon as Percy had driven halfway across the city to find a specialized pet store and used every last penny of his mortal money to buy a dozen of the birds, before setting them free on the beach. He also bought an ancient Greek book called _Athens: Why They Chose Wisdom over Water, _a life-sized stuffed wolf that he placed on the beach as well and a sun necklace that he lay at point zero.

Finally, once Percy had finished filing out all his promises to the gods, he whistled for a cab and gave them the address for Piper's house. Jason sat in the back seat nervously as they drove towards Pipers, his hands twisted and sweaty in his lap. He was staring out the window, but he wasn't paying any attention to the scenery. Instead, he was doing his own prayers to Aphrodite that Piper would forgive him— or at least, not try to kill him. He remembered how he used to be so nervous around Piper; always caring what he said, always trying to impress her, brushing shoulders with her whenever he could. Now he was praying that she wouldn't stab him in the gut. Percy was getting his happy ever after with Annabeth— why couldn't Jason get the same?

He didn't resent the son of Poseidon. In fact, he was grateful that Percy was going through all this trouble just for him. He was jut jealous of the fact it had all gone right for Percy: he got the girl after four years of friendship, they clicked perfectly, their parents didn't mind too much. Jason had a chance to be like that with Piper, but he had chosen the wrong path— he had gone with Reyna to Rome and stayed for almost a year until he came to his senses. He tried to think what it had been that had originally done it for him; was it when Reyna said she loved him? Was it the walk on the beach later? Was it half a year before that and he had just failed to realize? Jason couldn't find an answer, so he settled for sitting there nervously while Percy scribbled on a sheet of paper, writing haikus on how Apollo was the best god. After every one he would rip in out of the notepad, whisper "Sorry, dad," and then shove it in his pocket alone with the rest.

"You sure this is it?" the cabbie asked as they pulled up the McLean residence, which was surrounded by a tall black gate. Jason felt his stomach leap with nerves as he caught a sight of Piper's house through the trees that were obstructing it.

"Yeah," Percy answered, shoving his notebook away and opening the door. "Jason, could you….?"

Cursing the fact his hands were shaking slightly, Jason drew his wallet and paid the driver, before following Percy out of the cab. It pulled away and they were left standing outside the tall gate.

"Is there a way in?" Percy wondered, and Jason shot him an annoyed look.

"I'm a son of Zeus," he said, kicking off the ground and leaping over the fence with a little help from the winds. Percy looked impressed.

"I'm still on the other side, though," he smirked. Jason did the same thing, using the winds to shoot Percy over the fence. He landed roughly and got up, glaring at Jason.

"I'll get you back for that one, Grace," he muttered, starting to walk down the driveway towards Pipers house. Jason followed him, forcing his legs to move even though he really didn't want to. His heart was doing a little gymnastics routine and his legs felt shaking.

"Dude," Percy laughed, seeing Jason. "You were less nervous fighting off the hydra then you are now."

"This is different," Jason choked out, his throat dry. Percy just smiled and led the way to the McLean's front door while Jason followed, his mind buzzing with apprehension, hope and fear.

Percy rang the doorbell, but no one answered. Frowning, he knocked loudly, still to no avail. Jason was about to suggest kicking the door down when it suddenly swung open.

_Thanks, Aphrodite, _he thought as he stepped lightly into the house. It was huge, with grand staircases on either side of the entrance hall. Down the oak-wood flooring was a living room, with soaring ceilings and an old-fashioned feel to. Furniture was spread out, mostly antique pieces that matched the naturally-lit room and wooden paneling. Jason's eyes were drawn to a huge mural on the wall of Aphrodite rising out of the ocean on a seashell, dressed in a beautiful white gown and decked out in jewelry. Her arms were spread and though it was nearly impossible to paint Aphrodite because her face was almost always changing, the painter had done a pretty good job— soft lines, bright eyes and wavy brown hair.

Jason heard Percy suck in a sharp breath and followed the other boys eyes to one of the couches in the corner of the room. What he saw almost made him collapse.

Piper. On the couch.

Making out with some random guy.

Percy cleared his throat loudly, making both Piper and the mortal guy jump apart and look around guiltily. Jason felt rage swell up inside him and he was halfway to taking a step and striking the boy when Percy held up and hand firmly.

"I'll deal with this," he muttered, before stepping forwards and smiling brightly at the boy. "Hi! I'm Percy Jackson from the National Museum of Greek mythology." He held up Riptide to emphasize his point. "You're Will Hart, right? Yeah? Your article that you submitted to the Poseidon section on the museum won the contest and I have a limo waiting outside for you to come with us. We have some legal documents you need to sign, and then you should be able to collect your prize money."

The kid looked absolutely baffled. "I don't—"

"Remember what the prize money was?" Percy cut in, still smiling. "That's okay, I believe it came in at about two hundred thousand dollars for the winner, which is currently you."

"I can't—"

"Believe you won? It's okay, not many people can. If you'll follow me outside now, we can get in the car and collect your prize." Jason could tell that Percy had Will hooked when the boys eyes lit up.

"Um, sure," he grinned. "Just outside?" Percy nodded earnestly and Will followed him out the giant doors and out of sight. Jason heard the sound of running steps, before a short scream and a loud _crack_. A moment later Percy appeared again, twirling Riptide casually.

"What did you do to my boyfriend?" Piper demanded hotly, glaring at Percy. He just smiled.

"He got a bit over-enthusiastic," Percy answered. "Managed to run head-first into a wall, somehow." Piper glowered.

"_Apologies," _Piper hissed in Charmspeak for what was probably the first time in a year. Jason felt the words wash over him, and suddenly he had the urge to say sorry for everything he had ever done. Percy just grimaced.

"Ever since Aphrodite…" he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyways, I'm going to…um… go, you know, tour the neighborhood."

"Oh no you don't," Piper steamed. "You knew I wanted to get away from all of this, Percy. You knew I was done, so why are you doing this? Showing up at my door, Iris-messaging me, ramming my boyfriends into walls, and bringing _him?" _she pointed at Jason, who felt his stomach sink even lower.

"Special circumstances," Percy smiled briskly. "Now, excuse me. I have some flowers to plant, and cereal to burn." He wheeled and marched out of the house, leaving Piper alone with Jason.

"I'm not talking to you," was the first thing she said, turning away from him and crossing her arms. Jason swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to force something out.

"You can't just let me stand here," he pleaded. She turned back towards him, though her face was still hard.

"Watch me."

"Can we at least talk as… friends? Or normal people?" Jason demanded. "I won't apologize for anything or talk about, you know, gods, and you won't be all snippy and yell at me for random things." Piper hesitated, thinking about it in her head. Jason waited with anticipation building up in his throat.

"Fine," Piper said eventually, and Jason felt joy explode inside of him. It wasn't what he wanted, not even close, but it was a step in the right direction. A very small step, granted, but a step. "Sit down," she said, gesturing towards the luxurious couches. Jason sank down gratefully.

"It's, um, a nice house you got here," he started awkwardly, not sure of what to say. Piper didn't look as pissed, but she still was giving him the cold shoulder.

"Thanks," she answered. "Dad bought it when he got that part in the movie, Troy. Ironic, right?"

"I thought we weren't bringing up demi-god life," Jason said, and felt relief flood him as Piper smiled at his joke.

"We're not talking about it," she said. "But the whole fight with Gaea was about Romans and Greeks, and that's what that movie's about. So… you know, I found it kind of funny."

"I saw that movie," Jason nodded. He had gone to see it with Reyna and remembered sitting in the movie theater holding her hand, thinking that he was happy. Now he knew, looking back on it, that he really hadn't been. He had been satisfied, that was for sure, but not completely happy. There was another moment of awkward silence, before Piper said:

"Why is Percy burning cereal?"

Jason laughed, and he was relieved to see Piper smile as well. He had forgotten how beautiful it was— it filled her whole face, her eyes lightning up, and she seemed to loose some of the cold composure she was still wearing.

"We took a plane here," he explained. "Percy was a bit… nervous, so he prayed to every god there is, plus a few I don't think exist. He has some promises to fulfill."

"That's Percy for ya," Piper laughed, and the ice broke. Jason chuckled and Piper uncrossed her arms and turned towards him, her face lighter. He felt relief flood inside of him; maybe he had a chance after all of being friends.

"What have you been up to lately?" He asked, reclining in the couch and looking at her expectantly. She thought for a moment.

"Not much," she answered. "Dad's sent me to pubic school for once."

"How is it?"

"Not too bad," she shrugged. "I met Will— the guy Percy just threw into a wall— there, and we've been dating for a month now." Jason felt like he was getting stabbed, but didn't let it show. "And I'm acing Greek class, for some reason," Piper grinned, and Jason weakly returned the smile.

"What's Will like?" he asked casually. Piper looked at him cautiously for a second, before answering once again.

"He's nice, you know, and hot, and he sings really well…" she trailed off and Jason realized he had a wistfully expression on his face. He sat up and wiped it off, gesturing for her to continue. "Well, he's really sweet most of the time, and he kind of lets me do my own thing. I really like him…" Jason got the feeling she was about to add _but_ in there, and his heart leaped. He felt like a second-place driver, just waiting for the right opening to overtake the lead. If he moved to early he would get knocked off the course and crash, and if he waited to long the race would be over. He had to time his move perfectly.

"Was there a but in there?" he teased lightly, and Piper shot him an annoyed look. It was just like old times, teasing each other back and forth like they used to do on the _Argo, _because it was better than training with Coach Hedge, or listening to Annabeth repeat over and over: _What if he doesn't remember me? What if he's dead? What if it's a trap?_ As she repeatedly paced back and forth.

Except nothing could ever be the same again, because of him. He had blown it, big-time, and now he was trying to put it back together.

"No but," Piper shook her head firmly. "He's great, he really is." Jason felt his hopes plummet, but this time he was careful not to let it show.

"Are you happy?" He questioned. It was meant to be a simple question, but as soon as he said it he realized how many different meanings it could have. _Are you happy without me? Are you happy I'm back? Are you happier with him? _ Piper bit her bottom lip (which was totally unfair, Jason thought) and thought over the question for a second.

"I'm happy, yeah," She shrugged at length. Jason was glad she had answered simply. "Life's different, but I have to admit I enjoy not having those moments where I'm not sure if I'm going to die, or someone I love is going to die, or if everyone is going to die."

"What about the moments that weren't like that?" He questioned. "Do you miss those?"

* * *

**If i didn't end the chapter there, it would have gone on and on and i wouldn't have been able to update today. **

**Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**So, this is an emotional time for me— this story is coming to an end :'(. Not too quickly, but I can see the end in sight. **

**Well, enjoy it while it lasts. **

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Piper thought about the question for a long, long time, chewing her bottom lip and looking around the house. Jason waited anxiously, watching her with expecting eyes. If she said no, he may as well pack up his bags and go home. If she said yes, then Jason had a slight chance. It would probably never happen, but Jason had fought against Gaea. He was used to the odds being stacked against him.

Finally, with a hesitant chance that said she knew exactly what the consequences of the answer were, Piper said:

"Yes…. Sometimes." She hesitated, but the look Jason was giving her prompted her to carry on. "I miss all my friends, and really feeling like I fit in for once. Things here just aren't the same without demi-gods around me."

"And the campfires," Jason smiled. "You have to miss the campfires."

"Of course I miss the campfires," Piper laughed. "Plus, it gets a little lonely around here, with only Will to hang out with." Jason felt a pang of jealousy, but didn't let it show. He would _happily_ be the only person in Piper's life.

He could have been, too— but he had to choose Reyna. Jason was starting to realize that mopping around would get him nowhere when it came to getting Piper back, so he was making an effort to stop. Still, it was hard to stop beating himself up about making the wrong choice— choosing the wrong road. He made a mental note to find Janus and slap the god upside the head.

"So what un-demigod stuff has been happening?" Jason asked, and Piper thought for a second.

"I got a movie part," she replied finally, and Jason looked impressed. She still couldn't believe that he was sitting here, in her house— inches away from where she had been making out with Will only minutes ago. She was struck by the sudden urge to lean in a kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hold him there. She didn't really realize how much she had missed him until she saw him— the sky-blue eyes and close-cropped blonde hair, the completely opened and honest look on his face. But she couldn't do that— she hated him.

"Really?" Jason asked, breaking her from her thoughts. "That's cool. What did you do?"

"It's in my dads new movie," Piper replied, a hint of bitterness in her voice. After her dad had scored that part on Troy, every movie business was clamoring for him to fill their parts— if they hadn't been already. He was busier than ever and barely had time for Piper at all. "I haven't actually been on set yet— I'm just an extra, really. No talking part."

"Eh," Jason shrugged. "It's a start, you know. Maybe someday you'll be just like your dad."

"I was thinking more a career in modeling," Piper smirked, shooting Jason a look. He felt his mouth go dry.

"That might work," he agreed, choking out the words and trying to stop himself from blushing. She hadn't looked at him like that since they sailed on the _Argo, _and he had forgotten how pretty she was.

They talked comfortably for a while more, Piper slowly dropping her guard and opening up more as they spoke. Jason was thrilled at how it had gone— less than twenty-four hours ago he had thought Piper wanted to run him through with her dagger. Now, they were both reclined comfortably on the couches, chatting idly and watching the TV.

Part of Jason— the part that wasn't admiring Piper or setting off mental confetti guns— wondered what Percy had been doing for the last three hours. It seemed Will was still unconscious outside, but the son of Poseidon was nowhere to be seen.

"We should find Percy," Piper said, voicing Jason's thoughts, and he nodded absent-mindedly. Secretly, he was disappointed that they were stopping their conversation, but he rose to his feet and headed outside. Piper was a few feet behind, locking the door behind her.

"Where is he?" Jason asked, looking around, but Percy was nowhere to be found.

"We could send him and Iris message," Piper shrugged. Will groaned from against the wall and Piper seemed to notice her fallen boyfriend for the first time. She rushed over and Jason followed, trying to contain his jealousy.

"Do you think we can wake him up?" Piper asked Jason when he drew beside her. He shrugged indifferently, not really caring if Will woke up or not. He would be perfectly happy if the stupid kid stayed unconscious forever, leaving the rode to Piper wide opened.

"Charm-speak him," he suggested dryly, and Piper glared at him. "What? You brought me back from the dead, didn't you?"

Piper turned her back to him and started shaking Will, trying to revive him. Jason had to admire Percy's handiwork: there was a lump on Will's head, but no open cuts and no depression on the skull. He had obviously bee somewhat careful while throwing the poor kid into a wall, trying not to send him to Hades.

"He's concussed," Jason analyzed, trying to redeem himself. "No caving in of the skull, so he should be a bit disoriented when he comes around. Nothing more, though."

"Of course not. I wasn't trying to kill him." Jason had been through far too mush to jump when random voices appeared behind him. Instead, he turned calmly and saw Percy standing there, swinging Riptide from hand to hand idly.

"Fine time for you to get back," he grumbled, gesturing to Will. "He's not waking up."

"You say that like it's my fault."

"You are the one who threw him into a wall," Piper added in from where she was squatted over her fallen boyfriends, trying to revive him with no success. Percy shrugged.

"Fair enough," he replied. He leaned over Will as well and Jason stood back, trying to not feel like a third wheel. He kind of wished that Will would stay unconscious for a couple more hours and Percy would have more prayers to fill out, so that he could spend some more time with Piper, even if it was just talking. In his mind, he was carefully debating how he should play his relationship with Piper. He could go straight for her heart, or he could wait.

Obviously, the second option was far less appealing to Jason, but he knew there was no point in shooting early and missing. There had to be some part of Piper that still resented him, and if he made a move that part would probably come out in full force.

Will groaned and stirred, rolling over and fluttering awake. Piper let out a long sigh of relief, and Jason felt jealousy stab through him. _There goes my attention… _ he thought glumly.

Will's eyes focused on Percy and he yelped, scrambling backwards farther into the ditch he was thrown. "Get away!" he yelled. His eyes focused on Piper. "This guys crazy, Pipes! He threw me into a wall!"

_Pipes. _Piper had never liked Jason calling her that, even when they were kind-of-dating. She had always said it was only for her dad to call her, and it brought back painful memories of the Wilderness school and their first quest, when she had been lost and confused. For these reasons, Jason tried not to call her that, even though it slipped out every now and then. Apparently though, Piper had no qualms being called that by her _mortal _boyfriend.

"It's okay," Piper was telling him in a soothing tone. "Percy's… mentally challenged, and he sometimes does things that he shouldn't. But he's not dangerous, he really isn't."

"I'm _so _going to kill you," Percy mumbled, hiding Riptide so Will wouldn't see it. Piper shot him a warning glance, before helping her stricken boyfriend to his feet. For the first time, Will's eyes focused on Jason. They narrowed.

"Who's he?" He asked bluntly, pointing at Jason. Piper looked at loss of an answer, so Jason stepped in to save her.

"I'm Piper's ex," he admitted, wincing inwardly at how it sounded. "We went out when we were younger." Will's eyes went wide with recognition and he glared.

"You're the kid who broke her heart?" He growled, but Jason wasn't the slightest bit threatened. Instead, he was worried he would be forced to hurt this stupid mortal boy and make Piper mad.

"When you say it like that…" Jason trailed off, trying to act casual. "I guess so. She hated me for a while, but now she forgives me?" He finished hopefully, looking over at Piper. His stomach was churning with nerves as he awaited the answer, which seemed to be taking forever. Piper chewed her bottom lip, glancing between Jason and Will nervously.

"I guess so," she said hesitantly, and Jason felt his spirits soar. "I was mad at you for a while, but now…" she shrugged. "I kinda missed you. As a friend," she added hastily, which did nothing to dim Jason's spirits. _He was forgiven. _It was all going to work out, somehow. Will was the only obstruction now.

"You're forgiving him?" He asked incredulously. "Piper, you said you hated this guy."

"I did," she defended. "But now I don't. People _can _be forgiven, you know."

"What does this mean to us?" Will demanded. "We had plans, you know. We were going to go to college together."

"Hey," Jason shrugged, starting to feel left out. "Don't hesitate to do that on my part, dude. You two can go to college. Just keep it rated G." Will glared at him.

"Just because the farthest you've gone is holding hands," he snapped. "Doesn't mean that's the farthest we've gone." Jason felt rage swell inside of him and forced it down, instead putting on a cocky grin.

"Look, dude," he grinned. "No need to share your personal dreams with us. I'm sure your self time is occupied in a _handy _way, but we're talking about real relationships here."

Will lunged, but Piper held him back. "Guys!" She said desperately. "Can we not do this here?"

"Why are you defending him?" Will demanded, turning on her. "What does this mean to us?"

"This doesn't mean anything!" Piper exclaimed, exasperated. "What, am I not allowed to have friends any more?"

"From the way he's grinning, you went farther than just being friends," Will spat, and Jason felt an odd stab of pleasure at the annoyance he was causing Piper's boyfriend. Jason saw Piper's eyes flash dangerously and backed up slightly. So did Percy, who subtly moved closer to the pair.

"And you're suggesting _what?_" Piper demanded dangerously. Will looked lost for a moment.

"Well… it's just, I love you," he said. "And I don't want him getting in the way of us."

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**Sorry, I didn't know how to end it. **

******And I'm changing my updating schedule— it's just too much, three stories every week. I can barely manage it, and my school grades are dropping. So now I'm doing every other week. Sorry, guys. But it means the chapters will be longer. **

******REVIEW**


	13. Chapter 13

**Look! Another chapter!**

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Jason snorted in contempt. "I've been talking to her for a day, pal. I don't think there's much chance of her falling in love with me."

Piper spoke at the same time: "Will… I do love you, I really do. It's just…" A look of horror came over Will's face and his eyes flashed dangerously in Jason's direction, but the demi-god stared him down. Jason had won glaring contests with wolves and gods, and he certainly wasn't going to back down now.

"I'm confused," Piper finished lamely. Jason tried to make sense of what was happening: at first, Piper had hated him; the Iris messages had outlined that pretty clearly. Now, however, she seemed to be torn between him and her current boyfriend, as if she couldn't decide whom she liked more. Reason said that it should be Will, but Jason had gone through enough to know that half the time reason didn't count for anything.

"You're confused," Will repeated flatly. Piper looked pained, and Jason felt a sudden stab of guilt for putting her through all of this. Her life, no doubt, had been fine before he had appeared. Now she looked torn, confused and hurt.

"I still want to date you, Will," she said desperately. "It's just… you can't ignore your heart, you know?"

"You said you hated him from the bottom of your heart," Will grumbled, shooting another annoyed glare at Jason, who was fighting a mix of anxiety and joy. He found it odd that, despite all the life-and-death situations he had been in, this one had his heart racing fastest. Would Piper choose him or Will?

Later, he would look back and think how caught up he was in all of this, and how stupid it seemed. Of course, when he didn't have Piper next to him holding his hand, it had seemed pretty important.

"Things can change," Piper snapped. "We've been dating for a month and a half, Will. Have you never felt just a bit of doubt there that maybe we're not perfect for each other? That we won't move to Florida and go to College together and get married? Did you ever think that?"

If Will had looked hurt before, he looked positively devastated now. Jason felt a pang of guilt for the guy— his love life was caving in around him, his girlfriend didn't know who she wanted and to top it all off he had just been thrown into a wall by some crazy sword-wielding lunatic.

"No," he replied quietly, his voice full of pain. "I never thought that, Pipes. I always thought we were made for each other."

"Don't worry about it," Percy said, clapping Will on the shoulder in a way that made the poor boy flinch. "Not everyone gets put on the Aphrodite's wall." Piper shot Percy a glare that clearly told him to back off.

"What he's trying to say," Piper said gently. "Is that we've only been dating for a month, and that's a pretty short time. In a year, maybe I'll feel that way, but now…" she shrugged. "After what happened last time—" she shot a pointed look at Jason. —"I don't know if I'm ready to commit to anything yet."

Pointed look. Not a glare. That was all Jason was thinking about at the moment, as Will looked hurt and Piper seemed exasperated at her boyfriends behavior. When Piper had mentioned her last relationship, it hadn't been backed up by any anger or hate towards him. Instead, she had just been using it as an example to help Will.

Another part of Jason was hopelessly confused at what the outcome would be. He didn't have much experience in winning a girls heart, at least not in the conventional, mortal methods. Had this been Camp Half-blood, Jason would have simply challenged the other boy to a duel over Piper's heart and settled it right then and there. Will, however, had looked like he had never held a sword in his life and clearly didn't believe that Jason's method was a good way to settle a dispute.

"So what does this mean for us?" Will repeated. Piper sighed in exasperation.

"I'm not dumping you, Will. We're still dating." Jason felt like his heart had been grabbed in a vice grip and was on the edge of being squeezed into oblivion. "I just… need a bit of time," Piper finished, and the grip loosened slightly.

"A bit of time," Will echoed hollowly. "Sure. If that's what you want." He turned to Jason. "And while she's having her time, you and I are need to talk."

"Sure," Jason shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. He was actually quite looking forwards to a chance to talk to Will without worrying what Piper would think of his words. That was basically all he was thinking about right now: what Piper would think of what he did next.

"I'll be inside," Piper said, wheeling and turning towards the house.

* * *

She didn't know what to think.

Piper strode into her house, trying not to slam the door, and collapsed on the nearest couch, fighting tears. What had she done to the gods that gave them an excuse to mess up her life like this? She glared at the picture of Aphrodite, done in such beautiful detail.

"Screw you, mom!" She yelled. With most gods she wouldn't have dared, but Aphrodite was probably too busy squealing with delight at her indecision to care that Piper was yelling at her. This was exactly the kind of situation Aphrodite would love; her daughter, caught between two absolutely gorgeous boys. One of them did everything to deserve her love; he bought her flowers, he gave her space when she needed it, he remembered dates, he stood up for her, he didn't even _look_ at other girls when she was around. And yet, she seemed to be drawing farther away from him. The other boy did absolutely nothing to deserve a shred of friendliness from her, but she was falling for him, hard.

A brilliant light filled the room from behind her, shocking Piper. She had been around long enough to know not to turn around until the light was gone, but as soon as it had faded she wheeled to face her mom, who was looking giddy with excitement.

Aphrodite, of course, looked beyond stunning. Her hair was cut short in a bob, but as Piper watched it lengthened and curled tightly, darkening in colour. Every time Piper saw her mom, her face seemed to become more and more definite, like the goddess was slowly becoming accustomed to Piper's idea of beauty. Now, the face settled permanently for the first time, the picture of perfection in Piper's mind.

"You," Piper growled. "Come on, why now?" The surprise on Aphrodite's face was real enough Piper almost believed what her mom said next. _Almost_.

"Me?" She asked, letting out a perfect little laugh. "You think I did this, Piper?"

"I hated Jason," Piper said. "And suddenly, I have feelings for him. I know you're behind this, mom." Her mother circled slowly, looking around the house and settling her eyes on the painting. She sighed.

"It's quite nice, isn't it?" She asked, nodding towards the picture of her. "Although I thought I made it quite clear that I did not rise out on a seashell. Although, the painter makes me look quite majestic doing it." She turned back to Piper. "May I take this for my temple on Olympus?" If she hadn't been able to do it herself, Piper would have given in to the subtle hints of Charmspeak in her moms voice. She grit her teeth.

"No," She snarled. "You can explain why you chose now to completely _screw up _my love life." Aphrodite turned and focused on her daughter.

"I promise you, dear, this wasn't me," she smiled. "Love does have a funny feel to it, doesn't it? Even _I _couldn't have predicted this happening, but isn't it great!"

"No," Piper replied. "It's horrible. How could I love Jason, mom? I hated him?" Something had changed inside of her in that moment. She wasn't made any more; she was just desperate. Desperate for advice, and who could give it to her better than the goddess of love herself?

"Because, dear," Aphrodite said. "You never really hated him. There was always a little seed inside both of you, because love runs deep. And you two, my dear, were the best love at first sight I've had since Annabeth saw Percy on the hill."

"We were?" Piper asked, shell-shocked. How?

"Oh, yes!" Aphrodite giggled. "Of course, the first time you saw him you already thought you knew him. And the first time he saw you, well, if you woke up on a bus with absolutely no memory, holding hands with a gorgeous girl, how do you think you would feel?"

"A bit awkward, to tell the truth," Piper muttered, trying to sift through the confusion in her mind. Aphrodite sighed in exasperation and continued to circle.

"What I'm trying to say," she forced a smile. "Is that you and Jason were, in short, made for each other. True, it was Hera's meddling that pushed you together in the first place, but love on first sight isn't fake." A dreamy expression came over her face. "I haven't even put you up on my shelf yet!"

"What about Will?" Piper asked, confused and a bit thrilled at the same time.

"Well, Will is a bit of a wild card," Aphrodite confessed. "Just like Jason staying at camp Jupiter. It was never meant to happen, but it did." She shrugged. "Of course, you still can't deny your feelings Jason."

It was true. The hate was slowly melting away, lost in his smile or his words or the way he would stare at her, with almost unhinged desperation and sadness. She had thought she would never forgive him, but it had taken him less than a day.

"You'll have to face it sometime, dear," Aphrodite said, pulling out her makeup mirror and applying lipstick. "You and Jason are made for each other."

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**I need your guys help. Did i do well with the Aphrodite scene? Was she cannon? I really hope so, because this was a pretty important scene. **

**REVIEW**


	14. Chapter 14

**Oh no! I just realized that, after this, there's one chapter left, and then the story is over. Thank you to everyone who reviewed this, you made it possible to reach my dream of getting over a hundred revies on my story. You guys are the best fans out there. **

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"Made… for each other?" Piper mumbled, not quite grasping the concept. "How can two people be made for each other?"

"They just are," Aphrodite shrugged. "Sometimes they don't even know it, but love always finds a way in the end. Like David and Billie, for example. Or Matt and Jenna hated each other until a year ago, and now they're absolutely adorable." She caught Piper's eyes. "But you don't care about this, do you?" With a sigh, she sank into a chair. "You want to know about you and Jason."

"It would be preferable," Piper nodded. "If we were made for each other, how come so much sh— stuff has happened between us?"

"Because love is a rocky road," Aphrodite shrugged. "Probably _the _rockiest road of them all. I may be the goddess of love, and still even _I _don't understand it fully. But I can sense strong love, and you and Jason are pretty much unbreakable."

"Which is why he's back here," Piper said. "Even after a year of seeing Reyna, he's back." Aphrodite was nodding enthusiastically. "Now, how about you and I go talk to your boyfriend?"

"Which one?" Piper muttered bitterly as she followed Aphrodite out of the door.

Outside, Jason and Will were ready to kill each other. In fact, Jason was pretty sure if Percy hadn't been there he would have already struck the mortal down without a second thought. They had been trading blows with words, however, and most of it hadn't been focused around Piper.

"Just because your mother was a pockmarked, fat-ass son of a—" Will's last words were drowned out by Percy, who coughed loudly and glared pointedly. Will changed words quickly. "Son of a female, three headed dog." He finished. "Doesn't mean that Piper's one, and you can't treat her as such."

"My moms dead," Jason said bluntly. "I can bet you that Piper has been through more with me than she ever will with you, and I swear to the gods I would never do something to hurt her."

"Like you did a year ago!" Will yelled triumphantly. Jason lunged forwards and grabbed Will by the scruff of his neck, shoving hard and sending the boy reeling. He started to advance, but at that moment the door swung open and Piper appeared, accompanied with a stunningly beautiful woman.

Jason had thought that Piper was the epitome of beauty, but he was clearly wrong. It was true that Aphrodite slightly resembled her daughter, but her hair was longer and her eyes were a striking, deep emerald green. Her body was completely perfect, and she was dressed in shorts and a tight fitting blue top. He got slightly glazed-eye looking at her. Will was staring open-mouthed, no doubt at Aphrodite. She tended to have that effect on mortals, especially if it was their first time seeing her.

Percy was the only one unaffected by the goddess, instead twirling Riptide in a bored sort of way. He smiled at Piper and looked Aphrodite over a couple of times, before frowning.

"Do you think Annabeth would be mad if I told her that you didn't resemble her right now?" He asked in a joking town. Aphrodite beamed at him.

"Oh, Percy," she gushed. "Have I ever told you how much of a gentleman you are to your girlfriend? Last valentines, the date you took her on? Simply _adorable_. Really, you should give classes on that sort of thing." She seemed to realize that everyone else was staring at her and cleared her throat. "But you don't want to know about that, do you?" She settled on Jason, then Will, and finally Piper. "You, dear, have a decision to make."

"I do?" Piper asked, although it was in a halfhearted tone. Jason could tell that she knew what was in store for her. He sensed a presence to his right and saw Janus floating in mid air, grinning while he surveyed the scene in front of him.

"Yes, of course," Aphrodite smiled. "Will, or Jason? You know it's been haunting you for a year now, and since dearest Jason here has gone through so much trouble to see you, you can pick!"

"What do you mean, pick?" Piper shrieked, glancing quickly between the two boys. Will was still struggling to tear his gaze away from the Goddess, although at her words he managed to do it. Now his gaze settled on Piper.

"You're going to pick me, right?" He asked desperately. "You hate him, Pipes. You know you do."

"I— I thought I did," Piper stammered. "But… I just don't know, Will. I really don't." Her shoulders sagged, and Jason felt a sudden pang of guilt that he was doing this to her— causing her all this trouble. It seemed he couldn't do anything but harm Piper these days.

"Why does she have to pick now?" Jason challenged, standing up straighter and looking at Aphrodite. "Can't she think it over, take a night or two? This is pretty big, you know."

"Easy for you to say," Will snapped. "You probably don't care either way. You'll just break her heart again, won't you?"

"Now look here, you little—" Jason started, his temper flaring, but Aphrodite cut him off.

"Boys, boys!" She said happily. "There's no need for violence. I'm sure Piper knows who she really wants, don't you, dear?"

"No," Piper said firmly, shaking her head, but her voice wavered. "I d-don't know who." Her eyes continued to switch in between Jason and Will like a deer caught in between two lions.

"You have to pick," Aphrodite insisted. "There is a certain time for decisions, and this one is now." Her eyes cast over to Janus and she winked, making both his faces flush red.

"It isn't fair," Piper protested. In her mind, however, she knew the decision. She just wasn't quite sure how she was going to deliver it.

"Life isn't fair," Aphrodite shrugged. "I mean, really. I put together a cute couple and suddenly, war explodes and the end up on the run. See?"

"Are you talking about me and Annabeth, or Paris and Helen?" Percy asked from beside Jason. He hadn't realized, but the son of Poseidon had moved forwards and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, maybe to give him support and maybe to help restrain him if he made a move for Will.

"Oh, Percy," Aphrodite sighed. "Have I mentioned that the way you treat Annabeth—"

"Mom," Piper cut in. "Decision, love of my life, remember?"

"Oh, yes," Aphrodite smiled, although she still looked dreamy. "Go on and choose, dear. You know who, after all." Jason expected her to refuse, but to his surprise Piper took a deep breath and stepped towards Will, taking his hands as she did so. He felt his heart plummet and Percy's grip tighten on his shoulder, but he made no move to attack the mortal. He was too saddened.

"Will…" Piper said, struggling for words. "I said that I loved you, a week ago. And I did, I really did. You were everything that a girl could ask for in every way. You were sweet, and you were nice and caring and you just seemed willing to drop everything for me. But…. I never really felt as if we were supposed to be together long term. I'm sorry, but that's the way I feel. You were more like a brother to me." Will's face sunk, and Jason felt his spirits soar. He could hear Aphrodite squeal with delight as Piper turned towards Jason, looking at him with something he hadn't seen in her eyes for a long, long time: Love.

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**Coming up in two weeks: A horrible attempt at fluff, and then the end of the story. :'(**

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	15. Chapter 15

**Please, allow me to indulge for a moment. If you just want to read the chapter, then go ahead, if you happen to have some strange urge to listen to me ramble, by all means, read on.**

**This fic actually started as a one-shot, based off of a story by Mcabi. The original one got taken down due to someone who was highly insulted by the fact, and so I re-posted, this time giving a shout-out to Mcabi. And that oneshot got eight reviews, half of then asking me to continue.**

**so I did, and fourteen chapters later, here we are. I can't say how grateful I am to all of you who helped make this fic come to life and helped me reach my goal of 100 reviews. This was the first of my rice ever to do that, and I owe it all to you guys.**

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"Have I told you I was sorry yet?"

Piper glanced sidelong at her boyfriend, lying next to her on the grass at Camp Half-Blood. Around them, a picnic was spread out on the blanket they had brought, with a basket of bread, some cheese and a thermos of juice, but the food lay untouched. Piper was perfectly content to stay in the warm grass with Jason's arm draped around her shoulders, pressed into his chest and with her arms wrapped around his neck. It felt so much more natural than it had ever been with Will.

"Oh, only about ten thousand times," she said dryly, leaning in to kiss him on the nose. "And I told you I accept your apology."

"Well, I'm sorry," Jason smiled, and Piper sighed in exasperation. She snuggled closer to his warm body, wanting to never move, wishing time could freeze in place.

"It's okay," she assured him. Surprisingly, there had been no awkwardness between the two of them when they got together. In fact, it was like nothing had ever happened at all— accept for the Aphrodite cabin racing around for a week, squealing and congratulating her. Jason had also seemed a lot brighter, and the two hadn't spent a moment apart since their plane touched back down in New York. As for Piper, she had to admit that her mom had been right— nothing had ever felt as natural as holding hands with Jason or standing up on her toes to kiss his lips. And she was planning on staying at Camp for a year, before going back to her dad for the school term. Tristan McLean had assured her that he would be fine living alone, and congratulated Jason— after firmly telling him that son of Zeus or no son of Zeus, if he hurt Piper again Tristan would have his head on a platter.

"So," Jason started at length from beside her. "No quest, no crazy villains to stop, no monster outside of the border… what are we supposed to do now?" Life at Camp had slowed down a lot— there were still training sessions, but it wasn't as frantic. The climbing wall still shook and poured lava down its face, but it seemed to do it less and less. Their were still monsters in the woods, but half of them had been taken out one day by Percy when he was in a bad mood, and campers no longer felt a need to take them out.

Some things never changed, though. Naiads still giggling and waved as Jason passed the lake. Mrs. O'Leary would still bound from table to table at diner, sniffing for scraps and taking any she could find. The Apollo cabin still led sing-along every night far into the hours of early day. It was the same camp, Jason reflected, just more relaxed. With no impending invasions or death threats or massive drakons patrolling the border, the demigods were allowed the sit back and enjoy their life. Even life outside of camp was safer, due to the fact that Gaea's disappearance had sent most of the monsters down to Tartarus.

There was one new change, though. A league of Cyclopes, lent by Poseidon himself, were busy building row after row of houses, half of them bordering on the beach and the other half bordering on the forest. Annabeth and two of her siblings were overseeing the project, and Tyson had been appointed foreman of the job.

They were building New Greece, a safe haven for all Demi-Gods to live if they didn't want to go to Rome. Now, as Piper stared at it, the half-built houses and outer shells of plazas seemed to be a lot more than that. It held potential— a place for her and Jason to grow up together, get old and married and maybe even have kids. The thought was such a good one that she found herself inevitably smiling.

"What's with the happy face?" Jason asked, nudging shoulders with Piper and turning to face her. Their faces were just inches apart.

"Just… thinking," she said. "About the future, about us. About how we might actually have some peace for once." A small smirk formed on Jasons face as he stared into her eyes, blue in kaleidoscope.

"You really believe that might happen?" he asked, his voice laced with sarcasm but with an undertone of hope. Piper smiled and nodded.

"I really do," she said, leaning forwards to press her lips to his.

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**So here we are, at the very end. Again, thank you to every single person to read/review/follow/favourite this story. To anyone who actually cares, once I wrap up my other story, LIT, I'll be starting a whole new one, she Son of The Assassin: Prince of Persia**

**one last time, allow me to beg:**

**REVIEW**


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